The Yamaha XS1100 was the first four-cylinder from Yamaha. And with such a firstling the Japanese of course wanted to make a statement. And they did. The Yamaha XS1100 was a very impressive device in which the people at Yamaha were also strongly inspired by automotive technology.
The XS1100 was a powerhouse
You can continue to use what is good. So, just like the XS1100 presented a few years earlier, the XS750 had double overhead camshafts, sliding bearing bigends and a cardan drive. In 1978, 96 hp was still a very high power. And all that power was in the XS1100, which was not a racer, but a heavy, fast touring machine. A 'naked' from the time that 'naked' was still the norm. How appropriate that idea was to drive 215 km / h without any wind protection? Oh well ... Oh yes: the handling lagged somewhat behind with all that violence. The Yamaha XS1100 was a highly impressive machine, but a somewhat rude thing.
Variants on a theme
To serve the market even more widely, some pimped XS1100s were introduced. The Midnight Special was an XS custom outfit. the (gray imported) Venture and Sport had cockpit fairings and a somewhat stiffer suspension. A very 'special', and already seriously sought after XS1100 was the 'Martini Special' with an impressive bodywork 'with spotlights, storage spaces and special colors.
From a technical point of view
The entire powertrain was highly modern, bulletproof and partly based on techniques from the automotive world. It was funny that the XS1100 could be kicked off in an emergency up to volume 1980. Depending on the country and version, a Yamaha XS1100 could also be equipped with an oil cooler. With all the advanced technology, the XS1100 was still equipped with carburetors. He breathed in through four Mikunis of 34 mm around.
The Yamaha XS1100 now
Today, a good XS1100 is a tough, fast travel partner. At the sharpest of cuts, the bicycle part including the brakes is clearly dated. But for normal, active and dynamic nice long driving, the XS1100 is a topper. The fact that they are and were such good travel machines does mean that there are machines in the range that have run into two tons. Such a motor can still be quite good - a nice one - but all the technology is finite. And for the time being it is economically highly irresponsible to have an XS1100 block revised. But if it is not about the economy, but about the passion? Then different rules apply.
In the meantime, these engines are no longer offered daily. But they are still there. Search in all tranquility for the most beautiful and good copy possible. Reordering a project optically and technically can be financially exhausting. For a reasonable start, think of amounts between the E 3500-4500.
Would those things still be there?
Once there was a sidecar builder annex Yamaha XS1100 enthusiast somewhere in the Flevopolders who had bought up entire batches of NOS, new old stock. Everything new. Just in the boxes as Yamaha once shipped it. From the head was that van den Born engines or something. Almere or Swifterband. We look that up!
Always nice to read that this engine is valued! It has been a passion for myself for many years. Small correction; It concerns a “special” in the photo. The “midnight special” was similar, but had no chromed parts (completely gold/black). Gr
I've had an xs1100s… nice machine only a mop in long fast corners.
I still have one for sale !!!
Another nice piece of word art Dolf! Enjoy it because the Xs1100 is my passion. S, Midnight and Mr. Vd Born's sidecar are waiting patiently in the limb until it is their turn again. Delicious?
Then you saw that a motor had a motor.
Born engines still exists in Swifterbant